Dixie Chicks singer petitions court to validate prenup

Georgia residents who follow country music may be aware that Natalia Maines, who is best known for being a member of the Grammy Award-winning Dixie Chicks, and her actor husband Adrian Pasdar have decided to divorce after 17 years of marriage. Maines filed the papers citing irreconcilable differences in 2017. Media reports reveal that the couple signed a prenuptial agreement before they walked down the aisle in 2000, but any hopes Maines may have had for a speedy and amicable resolution have been dashed as Pasdar is contesting the document.

Pasdar says that he neglected his acting career during the marriage to care for the couple’s two children and now struggles to earn a living from his craft. He has petitioned the court for monthly spousal support of $44,076 even though the prenuptial agreement does not include an alimony provision. He is also seeking $16,427 in monthly child support and wants his former wife to cover legal fees totaling $350,000. Maines has asked the court to validate the agreement so the case can proceed more quickly.

According to Pasdar, Maines will have no trouble paying the $60,503 each month that he is seeking. He claims that the country star has a net worth in excess of $50 million and earns about $2 million each year in performance fees and royalties. Pasdar also says that she will pocket millions more in 2019 when she embarks on a solo tour.

Experienced family law attorneys may suggest prenuptial agreements to couples who wish to avoid protracted court battles should they divorce, but they may also urge them to negotiate in good faith, disclose all of their assets and work toward an agreement that is fundamentally fair. This is because an agreement that is inequitable or shrouded in duress or deceit is unlikely to withstand the scrutiny of a judge.

Source: Taste of Country, Natalie Maines Asks Court to Validate Prenup in Ongoing Divorce, Sterling Whitaker, March 27, 2019Source: The Guardian Liberty Voice, Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines Fights Over Prenuptial Agreement, Barbara Sobel, March 27, 2019